Pushkin

From Pushkin Industries, this is Deep Background, the show where we explore the stories behind the stories in the news.

I'm Noah Feldman.

The shooting at a synagogue outside San Diego on the last day of Passover was just the latest

deadly attack where the suspect has reported links to white supremacy.

This incident pushed me to think harder and deeper about the roots of white supremacy in

the United States. Are we really seeing something new here?

Or is this the same brand of white supremacy that's been around for a very long time,

as long ago as the Civil War, maybe before?

To answer these questions and more, we're joined by Kathleen Ballou.

She's an assistant professor of history at the University of Chicago,

and her book, Bring the War Home,

The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America, is the definitive look at the modern history of the white power movement.

Kathleen, welcome to deep background.

Thank you for having me, and thank you for the kind words about the book.

Before we dive into the history and prehistory of white power and white supremacy, can I ask you just a personal question?

How did you get interested in this topic?

It is not the most obvious topic for a historian to work on.

It isn't.

And in fact, when I began the dissertation, I was told by more than one person that it technically could not count as history because the usual rule of thumb when you're starting a dissertation is that you should be studying things 25 years ago or further is the rule.

It turns out that it took me so long to finish the book that I had cleared that mark by the time it was all said and done.

But I actually think that the study of the recent past has become, as you can see, with this project,

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